What the Sam Hill Is a Scribbling Woman?

“America is now inundated by a damned mob of scribbling women.”

Nathaniel Hawthorne, letter to William Ticknor, 1855

I know, right? Honestly, Nathaniel, whining does not become you. 

When I came across that quote, I had the same reaction my fellow female writers did when I shared it on Facebook: loud and furious, many of them involving some rather literary swearing. I received over 50 responses, my favorite being this from A.R. Geiger (author of The Ghost Walker Saga):

“I for one think he’s right. We are taking over … they can’t stop us now. Scribbling Women, unite!”

And as many of you know, we did! The now two-year-old Scribbling Women online group is offering everything from monthly themed Zoom sessions to weekly Silent Scribbling gatherings, and so much more. (If you’re not familiar with SW and you’d like to be, email me at nnrue@att.net.) 

As a result we’re creating as never before, no matter our age or our season of life or the state of our career, even those who don’t have one yet. Twenty or 70, 30-ish or midlife, trying to start a writerly life or attempting to revive one. Everyone is writing more freely and putting themselves out there.

Not everybody has the time or inclination to join a group, but I do long for every writer who identifies as female to feel supported in shaping her own unique writerly life. This blog is an extension of (not a replication of) what we do in the Scribbling Women and will go into more detail than the weekly 15-minute podcasts. 

Here you can leave comments and interact with your fellow Scribblies at your own convenience. Most vital – you can ask me questions which I will answer as best I can and probably pursue as topics everywhere you find the Scribbling Women.

Is this another how-to-write thing? Because really …

Absolutely not. Here we’ll explore the writerly life, within which you can discover how to write the way YOU need to write. There are plenty of resources to help you improve your craft and get an agent and network on social media. 

This isn’t one of those resources. This is an interactive companion. No prescriptions of hacks. No, in my experience, every author needs to find the following threads of her own tapestry and weave them in using her essential creativity, her own unique self.

• Dream Discovery
• Story Shaping
• Career Crafting
• Life Living

In each post – after this sort of general one – we’ll delve into a specific fiber for you to spin. For instance:

• What do YOU do about the voices in your head that tell you you’re wasting your time?
• How do YOU bond with your characters or your audience?
• What is YOUR ideal writer’s job description?
• What can YOU let go of to create more creative space? (Without guilt! Is that a thing?)

What’s next?

Next week we’ll talk about your BOHOs – the Big Ol’ Hairy Obstacles to your writing life. We all have them. They stalk the halls of creativity with impunity. 

If you want a preview, check out The Scribbling Woman podcast that will be available Friday, August 9. You can find it on Spotify, Amazon, and YouTube. 

Are you in?

If the idea of gathering here turns on a light in your inner writing studio, will you leave a comment and let me know – even if you’re already a member of the Scribbling Women group?

If you have questions you want me to consider here, please let them in a comment or email me at nnrue@att.net.

Until then … Scribble On!